Potty Training frustration!

05-02-2010, 01:34 PM

I did a potty training thread a few months ago and decided that I would switch to cloth diaper and let her lead the way. I've had some new developments with potty training and i'm just not sure what to do.

I did the switch to cloth diapers my dd hate them. She digs ant them and say's "No mommy, i want disposable" I suspect the snappy is digging into her hips, but i'm not sure if it's the reason or one she's giving because she doesn't like them. Anyways so we're back to using disposible. She will not potty at home. I have little potty's and potty insert for a grown up potty. We've decorated the bathroom in princesses stickers because she likes them. We've gotten her a stool to get on and off on her own (without needing mommy to be around). We bought funky colour soap for her to wash her hands because she LOVES to wash her hands. But she will not potty at home. I say she will not potty at home because she loves to potty in public washrooms (much to my distress because i HATE public washrooms. I've even went and bough a portible lysol spray for the toilets because she won't sit on a potty with tp layed down) and at other peoples houses. She can tell me when she needs to pee because she tells me in the malls. I know she can hold it because i have had to run her from one side of a store to another to make it to a potty. If we spend a day in the mall she will not use her diaper once. But at home she will not use her potty and only want diapers!

I'm getting frustrated because i get all the stress and hectic stuff associated with potty training when i'm out but none of the benifits of her using it at home (not having to buy as many diapers or washing cloth). I will also mention that she does not poop outside of her diaper ever whether at the mall or at home. when ask she will agree that she is scared to poop outside of her diaper. and i have discussed that it's ok to poop in the potty and she has had much modeling of using the toilet in general. She is very bright and most people mistake her for three because she is so verbal. But i just don't know how to get her to use the potty. at this point i'm only gently encouraging her to use the potty and she doesn't show intrest in using it at home and i'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions? Sorry for the long rant!

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Yes, that is what will happen! At first. But the longer you can continue to go diaper free, the more successes you will have in getting it in the potty. At first, I would expect very little to actually go in the potty, which means lots of clean-ups for you. But it does get better.

With the weather getting nice, it might be helpful to spend lots of time outside diaper-free, if you have a backyard and that's an option for you. If not, going diaper-free in your house (which you are probably trying to keep clean and generally not get pee & poop all over!) will help you get very tuned-in to her potty cues. You will start to learn when to quickly rush her into the bathroom to go pee. With my son, even we has a "miss" and he had just finished peeing on the floor, I would still rush him to the potty to "see if anything else could come out". I'd ask him if there was more pee that he could put in the potty, but of course he was always all done. But it didn't matter to me...I wanted him to associate pee with going to the bathroom, even if it was already too late. I just wanted him to get that concept. Every time.

The pooping thing is harder...for many children going poop on the potty takes a lot longer than learning how to pee on the potty. My daughter would "save" her poop for naptime because she always got her diaper back on for her nap. She did this for at least a year after she was pee-potty-trained and in underwear during the day. Pooping just happened naturally much, much later for her.

But what I noticed from your post was that she did, in fact, poop outside of her diaper! Right? I realize it was on your floor, which is not ideal, but it was going one step beyond needing a diaper on to go poop. Now the next step is to get it in the potty!

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Thanks for this post, this is all so encouraging! We are just starting the potty journey.
Sorry you are having these frustrations, and I hope you are seeing a little of the humor in it. I sure need that reminder

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I am trying to see the funny side of things and now that we are having nice weather here i'm trying to do this outside instead of inside. However I'm begining to wonder if she's not ready. The other day we were having naked time at my MIL and she was picking up stones in her driveway. She went pee in the driveway stood up and said "Ohh mommy I need to go potty". I had to do my best not to chuckle. SHe'd already gone pee! Do you think she's just not ready?? Should i have put her on the potty anyways??

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I would. I would say, "Oh yes, I see the pee! Let's run to the potty!" And while she's on there I'd ask,"Do you have any more pee to come out? No? OK, we'll try again next time!" I would always take the opportunity to create an association between going pee and sitting on the potty.